The Gloranthan world is characterised by its complex use of mythology, heavily influenced by the universalist approaches of Joseph Campbell[1] and Mircea Eliade, its sword and sorcery ethos, its long and distinctive history as a setting for role-playing games, its community development and expansion, and its relative lack of Tolkienesque influence, which is uncommon among early American fantasy role-playing games.

He founded the company Chaosium to publish the board wargame White Bear and Red Moon in 1975,[3] which was set in Glorantha.

In Glorantha, magic operates from the everyday level of prayers and charms to the creation and maintenance of the world.

Heroes make their way in the world, and may also venture into metaphysical realms to gain knowledge and power, at the risk of body and soul.

In the more recent material, competing magical outlooks (such as theism, shamanism and mysticism) exist to explain the world.

The world is flat, with a dome-like sky, and it has been shaped in large and small ways by the mythic actions of the gods.

The 'historical' world of Glorantha is in a more or less fallen state, having recovered only partially from a universal battle against Chaos in the mythic Godtime.

Glorantha's origins lie in experiments with mythology, storytelling, recreation, and the blending of ancient societies.

More abstractly, Campbell's idea that myths are how we shape our lives deeply informs the picture of life in Glorantha throughout the game world's publication history.

[5] The game details a time of constant war between the land of Sartar and the Lunar Empire during the reign of Argrath Dragontooth.

In addition, it provides a large-scale map titled the Greater Lunar Empire, showing a larger world in which Dragon Pass is placed.

Nomad Gods, a second board game, published by Chaosium in 1978, and based on the raids and wars between the beast-riding, spirit-worshiping tribes of Prax, a cursed land located east of Dragon Pass.

In an attempt to leverage the power of a much bigger gaming company, a third edition of RuneQuest,[6] was published with Avalon Hill in 1984.

The default setting for this edition was given as the "Dark Ages of fantasy Europe",[6] but it also included a booklet allowing use in Glorantha.

The player assumes the role of an Orlanthi hero who seeks to unite the clans and tribes of Dragon Pass into a single kingdom.

Stafford was also self publishing additional material at this time about the history and mythology of Glorantha in non-game form in The Glorious (Re)Ascent of Yelm.

The HeroQuest game system, written by Robin Laws in collaboration with Greg Stafford, is a complete departure from RuneQuest.

The former leverages quick contests and open, almost free-form style of skills and abilities to emulate a mythic structure of play, with rising and falling tensions that contrast with the more naturalistic focus taken by RuneQuest.

In this edition, Mongoose produced 17 supplements and adventures based in Glorantha, alongside their generic fantasy background.

Glorantha shares some fantasy tropes such as dwarves, elves, trolls, giants, but has developed them differently to the more conventional versions based on the work of Tolkien.

Dwarves are literally made of stone and exist as manifest rigid inflexible laws of creation, while elves are intelligent, mobile plants.

As they can fruitfully mate with anything, they have the body of a man and features of their animal parent, often deer, goats, antelope, cattle, and sheep.

Ducks or Durulz are flightless humanoid duck-like creatures who have arms rather than wings (or men cursed with feathers and webbed feet).

Uz, the trolls, are the race of darkness, large, intelligent, astoundingly omnivorous, with a very developed sonar-like sense (darksense).

Their societies are matriarchal, and they worship, among others, a goddess of darkness called Kyger Litor, mother of the Trolls, and the more violent and sinister Zorak Zoran.